OCR Text |
Show A CIXVLE hCIILME DErECTlD. The following statement of a re-mirkahle re-mirkahle feat appeared in the San j Francisco Chronicle of Tuesday: I "William Fallon and J. W. Nagle were arrested yesterday morning while tnlho act of tapping tho wires of the Western Union Telegraph Com-!nv. Com-!nv. It has been known by telegraphic tele-graphic and police oGJrials for months pat and by tha poolroom conductors that thero was a leak somewhere, and although veral person, among them l'allon and Nagla were suspected, no arrests were made unlil yesterday. Tho poolrooms have suff red grralli and consequently there was much satisfaction sat-isfaction expressed when tho arrests were known. 'William Tallon is a young mm uho received nearly JflO.OM from the estate of hit fcthcr, who nua wealthy real ciata owner of San Jose. J. W. Nazle is an expert telegraph operator but was discharged from tho Western Union service ab ut two years ago for faruisbmg information of tho contents con-tents of messages received by him, to outside partie. It has leen an open secret among Fallon's intimates for a Ion,5 timo past ihat he was a sure winner win-ner on the east-rn horse races and many watched him In tho pool rooms aud hot their mousy as bo did with hatisfjctory results to tbein'clics. A few weeks ago superintendent Jaynesof the telegraph com nany discovered dis-covered tliat the ires connwting the )oolroonis with tho malu office were being tampered with, and thiough the efforts of employes and the police it was found that the trouble was caued by 'ta!uig"oi the roof of the old Academy of Music build ngon Pine btreet. The company then put in what is called a "meta'lie circuit," and :hrough this and by means of the jalvanomcer the main office was at noo notified of any attempt to In'cr-'ere In'cr-'ere with the wires Tho actire brain f tho men wLo had a sure thing were nco more set to work, and Xagie n olved a brillunt schemo for getting ' iround tho difficulty caused by the i utroduction o the new do mc. Tbis was done by the uso of a com-pena com-pena ingre-isunco"miohlne, whic b prevented the gal vannmefr from betraying be-traying the work going on. Tli"re was nodoub in the mind of Superintendent Jaynes and certainly certain-ly on thepirt of tbo onnera of the b epool rooms that thero waj some-ihing some-ihing wrong, aUhough where the troublfl liyorwho tho cause of it was could notJra determined. Chief of Police Crowley and Cupula Lees were informed of the matter, and for several weeks past Fallon and Nagle have been watched night and d y. Tnere was no secret about tho matter euher as any number of persons were anare of the fact that these two inen, with tares others, were not only suspected, sus-pected, but ery goad proof existed of the business in which they were engaged. en-gaged. "A few days ago it became known to flip police that Fallon and Nagle hd rented room y in tho Benson building, on the corner of Pine and kenisfdoiTsirtWi, and that they had connected their wires with those leading lead-ing from the main office to the pool room. About 6.3) o'clock yesterday insrmng Captain Lees cud Detectives ' John aud Dan Coffey and Iiohen, ac- ' wniinied by two employes of tbo ' leiegraph coinpiny, bi rt in the door i ' Jf the room and arrested the two men N BaJi choired that they were taken by surpn-o and attempted to escape, but tbo door was well guarded and they filled to got awaj. Every preparation prepara-tion lad been made to Up the wires during the day and they would hava been successful in thor plans-for plans-for th3 invention to offst the galvanometer gal-vanometer would have saved them. Suinn:cndent Jaynes said that the work was so cleverly performed that 1: was almost Impossible, after along examination, to find where the circuit had baen tapped. It took the best electrician in the employ of the company com-pany over two hours to detect the place where the Upping had been done. There were ten large batteries, two sets of instruments and several switchboards as well as various other articles, found In the room. Th 'receiver' 're-ceiver' was the only instrument lacking lack-ing to completo tho outfit, and that was found later in Fallon's room, on the corner of Montgomery and Bu.h streets. "The arrested men were uken in a hack to the private office of Chief CrowIey.whereSuperiotendentJaynes had a long Interview with them, but without learning anything which had not already been known CapUIa Lei -sid thst the men Intndd to I work a big scheme la connection with others, whoso names would no doubt be found out in a short time. Tho police were looking for tho electricians who mads and furnished tho instruments. instru-ments. In his opinion there were six or more men Interested In tho job, and they would be run down. Superintendent Jsynos said that this was by a long way the cleverest scheme he had ever heard of After Nagle's discharge he met somo men and introduced the scheme for Upplns the wires. Thoy were soon discovered and the metallic circuit was introduced intro-duced to prevent any farther annoyance. annoy-ance. The company believed that it would be Impossible to tamper with tho wires without becoming aware of it, but i: was wrong. The -device would have been satisfactory if the men had not been discovered. The compensation resls-ascs machine was invented, especially for this purpose, and it was the most Ingen'ous that could have been constructed. "Fallon and Xaglo remained in the Ch el's private office until lata in the afternoon, and no charges against tbem were entered upon the pr!on register until the evening. They will be charge, with felony and prosecuted qnder Section CIO of the Penal Code, which makes tho punishment not tn exceed flvo years in thph late prison, or one year In the county jail and a Hoc nt to exceel JIOCO. |